A variety of fishing lures are known in the art for attracting fish or other aquatic creatures. Live fishing lures include a live bait such as a minnow or cricket which is impaled on a hook that may be tied on the end of a fishing line. In some applications, the fishing line may be wound on a crank-operated reel provided on a fishing rod. Artificial fishing lures commonly include a hard or soft plastic lure body which is shaped and colored to resemble the appearance of a worm, crawfish, shad or other aquatic creature and may be fitted with one or multiple fishing hooks. The lure body is typically tied on the end of the fishing line. Accordingly, the fishing rod is typically used to cast the live or artificial fishing lure into a lake or other water body after which the reel is operated to retrieve the fishing lure through the water body to attract fish to the lure.
Conventional artificial fishing lures commonly have a lightweight hard or soft plastic or other construction. Live fishing lures such as minnows or crickets may also be lightweight. Therefore, the lures may not impart significant weight to the fishing line and thus, may only be cast for short distances from a fishing rod. Moreover, after casting, the fishing lures may have a tendency to float instead of sinking to the bottom of the water body as may be desirable in some applications. In many applications, therefore, it may be necessary or desirable to place one or multiple weights on the fishing hook or on the fishing line near the point of attachment with the fishing hook to increase the weight of the fishing lure. Increasing the weight of the fishing lure may increase the casting distance of the lure as well as enhance the tendency of the lure to sink in the water body.
One of the fishing lure weights which is most commonly used with live fishing lures is a rounded lead bead having a slot which receives the fishing line typically near the point of attachment of the fishing line to the fishing hook. The bead is crimped against the fishing line using pliers or the like to secure the weight to the line. The increased weight of the fishing lure correspondingly increases the casting distance of the lure as well as the tendency of the lure to sink in the water body. One or multiple beads can be placed on the fishing line depending on the desired weight and the desired casting and sinking characteristics of the fishing lure.
One drawback of the conventional beaded fishing lure weight is that the weight typically requires the use of pliers to crimp the bead onto the fishing line. Moreover, the bead may have a tendency to inadvertently become detached from the fishing line during casting or retrieval of the lure through the water body. In the case of lead weights, inadvertent detachment from the fishing line may have an undesirable environmental impact. Additionally, after it is crimped onto the fishing line, the bead may not be readily removed from the fishing line if desired. Other types of conventional fishing lure weights, such as slip sinkers which are typically used with artificial fishing lures, may be cumbersome to place on and remove from the fishing hook or line.
Accordingly, a fishing lure weight one or multiple ones of which can be expeditiously and securely placed on a fishing hook to impart a selected weight to a fishing lure and can be quickly and easily removed from the hook as desired is needed.